Sept. 4, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Vanderbilt Head Coach Robbie Caldwell
Opening statements:
“I’m very disappointed in the penalties we created ourselves. That was a big turning point in the game. We played well on both sides of the ball. On defense we played great in the first half and the beginning of the second half. Offensively, we’ve improved. We got in there and I think we had 400 something yards of offense and we scored some points. The most frustrating thing was that we botched two two-point plays and that is the thing we worked on as much as any, so that was disappointing, not being able to execute on those two plays and give us a chance to win the game. I’m very proud of the effort overall. We could have gotten down but we played a very good football game and I’m very excited that we came back and had a chance to win it and we have to learn to finish.”
On the penalty at the end of the game:
“I couldn’t see it but I’m very anxious to see it on tape. They said it was a high hit. The boy was a foot off the ground. What’s a high hit? We were just trying to stop him from getting a first down. I don’t know, I would have to see it. I guess they meant helmet to helmet but they didn’t give me any explanation.”
On Zac Stacy’s run at the end of the game and getting him going:
“We knew it was going to work, it was just a matter of time. We are very young upfront and we didn’t execute the first few times we did it. We had a couple of missed assignments. We didn’t block the right person and it’s hard to imagine after 28 days of practice.”
On going for the first two-point conversion attempt:
“It was for me. We sorted it out and it was the perfect thing to do. We had a perfect call and we rushed it. You know, we practiced it so many times but the excitement and being a young bunch I guess. That part was frustrating but next time we do it they will execute it perfectly.”
On the fourth down conversion with Warren Norman:
“I just decided to go for it. I thought we had a good play called and Jim Kiser suggested we run and I liked it so we went on and executed it very well.”
On Warren Norman’s playing status:
“I knew last week. I did, I just didn’t want to say anything about it. He’s a very tough individual and the doctors approved him. We just wanted to make sure the swelling stayed down and it did. He was mad because we wouldn’t let him return the first kick but we figured we would need to see how he played with the speed of the game which he did extremely well. We didn’t give him as many carries tonight as we would like to.”
On Brandon Barden emerging:
“I think he is. He is an ex-quarterback who converted to tight end and he’s had to get in the weight room and get bigger and more physical and he’s done that. I think he has an opportunity to be a really good player for us.”
On if Larry Smith gained confidence in the second half:
“I think he did. He struggled a little bit in the beginning but he’s a good leader. I think sometimes he presses too hard. All we can tell him to do is relax and play. He’s going to be a fine player for us.”
Vanderbilt Player Quotes
Vanderbilt Safety Jay Fullam
“I asked the ref about it after it happened and he said I hit him in the head. I didn’t think I did anything wrong. I stopped him short, but that was all the explanation the ref gave me. I guess next time we’ll just have to change it up.”
“He’s trying to get that first down and he’s diving for it so I hit where I could, but apparently I did it wrong. I thought I was leading with my shoulder, but it was going so fast and I didn’t feel anything hit me in the head too hard. The ref didn’t say anything about head to head contact just that I hit him in the head.”
“The game’s on the line and I was just trying to make a play and I ended up costing my team more than I thought I would.”
Vanderbilt Running Back Zac Stacy
On his first game after his injury:
“It felt good to be back and the knee felt great tonight. It felt good to be able to come out and contribute to the team as much as I can.”
On his last run of the game:
“Everything was really in slow motion, it just opened up and I did what was expected of all running backs and made a big play.”
On the teams comeback during the game:
“It’s always disappointing especially that first loss, but like I keep saying we can’t dwell on this loss. We fought hard as a team and we just need to bounce back and get ready as a team for our next big opponent, LSU.”
Vanderbilt Defensive Tackle T.J. Greenstone
On the call at the end of the game:
“The call looked clean to me. I tried to get some kind of explanation on it and he said his call was helmet to helmet.”
Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
On the game:
“It was great to come on the road and find a way to win, and that’s what we did today.” On Vanderbilt: “Give a lot of credit to Vanderbilt, they kept on playing.”
On Quarterback Dan Persa
“To see a guy come out in his first true start, go 19 for 21 in the passing game, and carry the ball 17 times for 112 [yards], I think it speaks volumes of who he is as a competitor.”
On the Northwestern’s penalties:
“It’s a lack of focus and discipline on our part. It shouldn’t have even been that close of a penalty discrepancy.”
On the final call:
“It was a helmet-to-helmet call. It’s an emphasis. We went over it last week with a representative from the Big Ten, and they do everything they can to take the helmet-to- helmet contact out, and it was the right call. It shows young people playing football right now that using your headgear or aiming for someone’s head is not the way to play this game.”
Northwestern Player Quotes
#11 Jeremy Ebert
What did you think of Persa’s performance tonight?
He’s had a great camp and it showed up on the field tonight. About the touchdown catch? He threw me a great ball and led me to where I needed to be. It was easy after that.
Career high in receiving yards. How did you feel out there?
I felt fast. It was a fast surface. It was great playing again and being able to get some catches definitely helped.
#7 Dan Persa
What did you think of the last play? Did you think it was helmet-to-helmet?
I thought it was appropriate. He hit me in the head. I think our offensive line did a good job overall on the drive. We needed to take better care of the ball on that fumble, but overall our offensive line played well.
Do you think you would have had the 1st down regardless?
I don’t know, I thought it was close. I guess I’ll look at it on tape.
About the 19-for-21?
It’s more of a credit to my receivers than anything else. They made some great catches for me, everybody did. The line gave me some good protection and I was a beneficiary of that.
You were the leading rusher. How do you feel about that?
It felt good. We tried to take advantage of scrambling and in the run game as well. I made a couple of mistakes. A couple of times I should have pitched the ball, a couple of times I should have kept the ball. I’m going to learn from that, but a win is a win.
